Tag Archives: prayer

The first and foremost reason for resting on Sundays is because God commands it. In Exodus chapter 20, God gives his people ten commandments that summarize the moral law. Among these is a commandment to “remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.” How is the sabbath to be kept holy? By resting.

Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates.

2. God Rested

When you think of resting on Sundays, you may immediately begin to think of reasons why it is impractical. Perhaps you don’t feel tired, or maybe you have too much to get done to take a day off, or maybe you simply don’t want to.

Whatever the reasons you come up with, though, your excuses are exploded by the fact that God rested on the seventh day — and if anyone didn’t need to take a break, it was Him! Think about it, God has unlimited energy. Creating the universe, magnificent and complex at it is, did not tax God’s strength. He could have created a million universes without breaking a sweat. And yet He rested. And so should we.

3. You Actually Need It

Whether you think so or not, you need to rest on Sundays. Unlike God, you do not have unlimited creative energy. It is a scientific fact that the human brain and body can only take so much activity without deteriorating dramatically. The vast majority of us are overworked and stressed out, teetering on the brink of burnout.

Stress is hard on the body, and rest is absolutely essential to productivity. St. Thomas once said, “Without work, it is impossible to have fun.” This could easily be reversed: Without fun (rest), it is impossible to work effectively. You need a day off to recuperate before tackling a new work week.

4. Family and Friends

When is the last time you shared a family meal with your wife and children or close relatives? Big Sunday meals with the family after Mass and worship used to be a highlight of every Christian’s week. They still should be.

The modern world, fueled by technology, has left us more isolated than ever before. The lack of face-to-face, personal interaction has left families fragmented and many people painfully lonely. Sundays, if properly respected, offer a unique opportunity to spend time with those we love, whether family or friends.

5. Prayer and Spiritual Reading

The saints tell us that prayer is absolutely essential to salvation. Spiritual reading, too, offers us an opportunity to hear God speaking in return. These two activities should be weekly habits for every Christian.

Yet, despite their critical importance, many of us are so busy that we feel we simply do not have time to pray, read, or meditate. That’s why Sundays are so important — they offer us the space we need to commune with our Lord, both literally in the Holy Eucharist, but also in restful times of prayer and meditation on the truths of the Faith.

6. Things You Enjoy

Creativity is part of being made in the image of God. Cultures of the past had far less of what we would consider free time, and yet everything they made — from tools to blankets to clothing — was made beautiful with intricate patterns and decorations. These days, we have countless conveniences that give us incredible amounts of free-time, but rather than creating, we merely consume.

It is important for men to have a creative outlet. The options are endless — writing, woodworking, gardening, model building, working on engines, leather-working, and a lot more. Again, Sunday offers a unique opportunity to work with our hands, doing something we enjoy for its own sake.

7. Naps

Sundays are all about rest, and there’s no better way to celebrate this fact than with a good nap. To be honest, I would feel pretty guilty if I took a nap in the middle of the day during the rest of the week when there are many obligations to attend to (my boss probably wouldn’t appreciate it either). But on Sundays, I take a guilt free nap if I feel like it, and it really is great. You should try it sometime.

Thou Shalt Take it Easy on Sunday

If you think about it, it’s really a beautiful thing that God commands us to rest. He is not a slave-driver or brutal taskmaster, pushing us to exhaustion and burnout. On the contrary, he is a loving Father who knows and desires what is best for his children. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart,” Jesus said, “and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

I would encourage you to examine your Sunday routine and look for concrete ways to make it more restful and relaxing. Cut out the the unnecessary shopping and errands. Make it a day of quiet, rest, fun, prayer, friends, and family.

Our Lord, in His great love for you, is commanding you to keep holy His day by setting aside the to-do list and enjoying some rest. Six days thou shalt run around like a madman, but on the seventh, thou shalt rest, take it easy, play a little bit.

Two weeks ago, I did a post asking readers of our Fellowship of the Minds to pray for a fellow reader and commenter, Wild Bill Alaska, who has terminal cancer.

Since then, many kind readers have offered alternate-medicine suggestions for combating cancer, both in comments to the post and in email.

Bill sends us all this message:

To all my family at Fellowship of the Minds,

I want to thank you for your prayers and well wishes. I will sorely miss you all, but the lord and I will be watching over you from the other side and waiting for your arrival there. Please know that I am still relatively pain free and what pain I do feel is bearable with the help of my Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. My mental state is the same as before in that I feel no apprehension nor anxiety regarding my approaching departure from this earthly plane. (ok, just a little). But overall my faith in the Lord and his promise to dwell in the house of the lord forever (Psalm 23) is what makes this coming transition a thing of beauty and wonder and less something to be feared.

Since I, most likely, will be elsewhere for the 2016 presidential elections I would like to take this opportunity to share my thoughts on my choice for the next president of our great Republic.

Col. Allen West, former Congressman (R-Fl)

A well educated veteran, patriot, Christian man who truly loves the country he has well served with honor and a quiet dignity. Colonel (ret. US ARMY) Allen West is a man whose career I have followed since he entered politics. This man was always my first choice for president should he decide to run. Now that my wish for his candidacy is quite possibly a reality, I have been diagnosed with terminal cancer and will not survive until the 2016 elections. I have made my peace with my Lord Jesus and am prepared to happily go home to him and our father on my passing. My one regret is not being able to cast my vote for this man who I believe can heal our nation and return us to the times when we all stood together as a united people proud to be called Americans. Perhaps one of you reading this will take pity on me and borrow a page out of the liberal/democrat hand book in the 2016 elections and cast a vote for Colonel West in the stead of this proud, but dead conservative.

Can prayer and fasting really stop an atomic bomb? Stop it right in its tracks? Absolutely. And I’m going to prove it to you with a well documented case in which it did exactly that. But first, let’s take a look at what Heaven says about prayer and fasting.

We know from the Bible that Moses fasted for forty days before receiving the Ten Commandments, and that Jesus also fasted for forty days before being tempted by the devil. In Matthew 17 we can read the famous story of a possessed man that the disciples could not cure. When Jesus healed the man, his disciples asked him, “Why could we not cast him out?” Jesus replied, “…this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” In other words, prayer and fasting can heal illness and cast out demons!

In the book “The Visions of the Children” by Janice T. Connell, we learn from the Blessed Mother herself and the visionaries of Medjugorje the following facts about prayer and fasting:

“My children, you have forgotten. Prayer and fasting will stop war. It will change the natural law.” (Page 20)

…it’s very beneficial for our souls if we fast three days a week. (Page 63)

Fasting is a type of purification… It allows us to experience the value of our free will over ourselves and the requirements of our bodies. (Page 63)

…the Blessed Mother asks us to fast. She says a person who does not fast does not know God. (Page 91)

The Blessed Mother has asked us to fast from sinful places, sinful situations, and sinful sensual experiences… (Page 92)

…the Blessed Mother says it is urgent that all people on earth pray and fast. No one is exempted. Without prayer and fasting, the human heart is helpless to hear God or see God – to choose God. (Page 105)

The only way to peace and love is prayer and fasting. (Page 121)

The Blessed Mother has said that peace can only come through prayer and penance. With prayer and fasting, she says that even war can be stopped. (Page 129)

The Blessed Mother says prayer and fasting can change even the natural law. (Page 143)

The Blessed Mother and Jesus help us to know that it is prayer and fasting that free the human mind from its illusions. (Page 178)

Fast twice a week on bread and water. (Page 196)

Pretty powerful stuff. But don’t let it appear daunting. According to the Blessed Mother, the best way to fast is on bread and water. So even while fasting, the body is taking in some nourishment and staying hydrated.

Fasting on bread and water is really not that hard, especially if you do it the way I do, which is to go to the health food store and buy the healthiest and best tasting bread I can find. The bread tastes so good, and coupled with prayer and the knowledge that I’m helping to save souls and take people to Heaven, a day on bread and water becomes an absolute joy. (Naturally, if you decide to embark on fasting, consult your doctor first and get his or her permission.)

I’ll tell you something else: When I fast for a day I feel completely in control of my thoughts and emotions, and much closer to God. It’s also a great confidence booster, knowing that you’re in charge of your body. Temptation becomes easy to resist and you feel like your body and your mind are forged in steel. Try it yourself and you’ll see.

Now, about that atomic bomb story I mentioned… If prayer and fasting can stop war and change the natural law, then surely it can stop a lil ol’ atomic bomb, couldn’t it? In 1945, four Jesuit priests, Fathers Schiffer, Lasalle, Kleinsore, and Cieslik, were living in Japan where they prayed the Rosary, fasted, and, in their own words, tried to “live the message of Our Lady of Fatima.” Their parish house was only eight houses away from the center an atomic bomb blast. Although everyone within a one mile radius of the blast was either killed instantly or died soon after from radiation poisoning, not one of the priests suffered more than a scratch, and none of them experienced any after-effects of radiation. Their house was the only building left standing.

So you see, prayer and fasting really can stop an atomic bomb!

Mike

This is my 50th post on Fellowship of the Minds. It’s an honor to work with such talented writers and researchers as Dr. Eowyn, Joandarc, DCG, Traildust, Steve, and Dave. And it’s an even greater honor to benefit from such wonderful readers. I visit a lot of different sites, and I can tell you straight up that Fellowship of the Minds has the most intelligent, loyal, and well spoken readers of any site on the web. It’s you, the reader, who really makes this site special.

Kindergartner praying at lunch says teacher told her, ‘You’re not allowed to pray’
By Charlene Sakoda
Apr 1, 2014 5:42 PM
Odd News
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An Oviedo, Florida family was shocked after they heard their 5-year-old daughter’s account of an incident at the girl’s school during lunch. As reported by the Orlando Sentinel, the kindergartener (whose name is not being released) told her family that a ‘lunch teacher’ at Carillon Elementary School stopped her when she bowed her head in prayer during the meal.

Marcos Perez’s daughter explaining the lunch prayer incident. (YouTube/Marcos Perez)
Last week Marcos Perez, the girl’s father, posted a YouTube video of his daughter explaining the lunchtime interaction. In the footage she recounts the confrontation saying, “My lunch teacher told me that, when I was about to say something, she said, ‘You’re not allowed to pray.’” According to her account the girl continued the conversation with the teacher saying, “’It’s good to pray.’ And she just said, ‘It’s not good.’”

The family says the exchange happened the week of March 10. However, Seminole County Public School officials report that Carillon Elementary’s principal, AnaLynn Jones, spoke to the cafeteria staff present during that time and they do not recall the incident nor interacting with the girl.

(WKMG)
WKMG Local 6 spoke to Michael Lawrence, the communications officer for Seminole County Schools who said, “The situation as stated by the parent has not occurred according to the school’s investigation…We’re dealing with very young children here so there’s quite a bit of an opportunity for miscommunication to occur. The timing and the issues were very odd considering that the first thing that happened was that a video was done, it was on YouTube.” The school district says the parents did not contact school officials until after posting the YouTube video, but Mr. Perez denied that claim and said he sent the district several emails before his post.

A coincidence that is too striking to ignore was pointed out by the Orlando Sentinel. The paper wrote that Marcos Perez is the “…vice president of sales at Charisma House, a Lake Mary-based Christian book publisher. The company is currently promoting the book ‘God Less America: Real Stories from the Front Lines of the Attack on Traditional Values,’ by Fox News host Todd Starnes. Starnes reported on the lunch prayer controversy for Fox News Radio.”

(WKMG)
The school did not interview the young student, who has since been pulled out of Carillon Elementary and will instead be home schooled. Both Lawrence and the family’s lawyer, Jeremiah Dys, senior counsel for the Texas based Liberty Institute, say that the identity of the staff member allegedly involved has not been given.

Dys has sent the school board and the Carillon principal a letter demanding an apology to the family by April 7 and assurances that steps will be taken to avoid a similar incident in the future.

Lawrence said that Principal Jones would remind Carillon Elementary staff that students are allowed to pray in school, adding, “If a student wishes to pray at lunch to herself we do not have a policy against that.”

I took a bus trip recently. The bus was half full, with plenty of empty seats, but a woman asked if she could sit next to me.

I was reading a book called “The Wonder of Guadalupe” by Francis Johnston, and after a few minutes of small talk, she motioned to the book and asked if I was religious. I told her I was a Catholic.

She told me she had been raised as a Pentecostal, but fell away from the church when her mother died. She also said she was taught to be wary of Catholics because they changed the Bible and worshipped Mary.

I told her the Bible came from the Church, and that Catholics don’t worship Mary, but they do pray to her to intercede on their behalf.

“Suppose I had a friend whose father owned a business,” I told her. “And I wanted to get a job there. I could talk to my friend’s father myself, or I could talk to my friend and say, ‘Hey, can you put in a good word for me with your dad?’ Since the recommendation is coming from his son, the father might give it more weight than if I just asked him for a job myself. Catholics pray to Mary to ask her to put in a good word for them with her son, Jesus.”

“When you explain it that way it makes sense,” she said.

We talked for about two hours and when we parted she said she might try going to church again.

Later, thinking of Mary’s role as an intercessor, I leafed through a book called “Our Lady of Beauraing” by Don Sharkey and Joseph Debergh, O.M.I. On page 79, I discovered the Irresistible Novena.

A girl named Fortuna Agrelli was very sick and pronounced incurable. On February 16, 1884, she and her relatives began a novena of Rosaries. (In my understanding, a novena is a prayer or an act of grace repeated for nine days in a row.) On March 3, Mary appeared to Fortuna and said:

“Since you have called me by the title so pleasing to me, ‘Queen of the Holy Rosary,’ I can no longer refuse the favor you ask, for this name is most precious and dear to me. Make three novenas and you shall obtain all.”

Fortuna performed three novenas over 27 days and she was cured.

Later, Mary appeared to her again and said, “Whoever desires to obtain favors from me should make three novenas of the prayers of the Rosary in petition and three novenas in Thanksgiving.”

This has become known as the Irresistible Novena. Three novenas of Rosaries in petition, followed by three novenas of Rosaries in Thanksgiving, whether the favor is granted or not. A total of 54 days of Rosaries.

If anyone has ever performed the Irresistible Novena, please post your experiences. I would love to hear them.

I had asked for prayers for a 13 year old boy named Nick, and his Mom and Dad Vinny and Deanna , and his 17 yr old brother Vincent. They are family friends. Nick choked on a piece of candy on Halloween night and his Dad was unable to dislodge it. Anyway by Sunday night the Dr.’s had determined there was no brain activity and the decision was made to take him off the respirator Monday afternoon and his organs were donated.

There is no answer to why in this, but I do know that a 43 yr old man was to get his heart, someone the lungs, 4 people were to split the liver, and someone the eyes.

Today a wake will be held and tomorrow the Funeral Mass.

If you can say a Prayer for Them it would be most appreciated. I have no idea how parents can go on from here.

So maybe it was Nicks job to give life back to all these people.

If you are not an organ donor won’t you consider it. I am and it was easy. I know here in Fla. I just checked a box at Motor Vehicle when I renewed my licence. I have put 2 links below. The first is some myths about organ donation and the second is like a National registry.

Please allow me a personal request, but if you can please pray for a 13 yr old boy named Nick who is in hospital right now and the situation is not good.

His Mother and my Wife are good friends and my Son and Nick have played together many times.

Nick went trick or treating and afterward was eating a piece of candy and choked on it. His Father tried the Heimlich, but could not dislodge it. He was airlifted to Bayfront and from here it gets a bit sketchy.

All we know is he is/was in a coma. He is not “responsive” whatever that means. He has stabilized but by no means is he out of the woods.

Please if you can in your busy day say a quick prayer for this little guy.

Thank you FOTM Warriors,

Steve

Updated 11-4

The Dr’s have determined there is no brain activity. As such the ventilator is keeping him going. Vinny and Deanna have had to make the most agonizing decision ever. I believe Nick will be taken off respirator this afternoon and will probably expire.

They are planning on donating his organs. Please if you can remember Nick and his Mom and Dad and brother Vincent in a prayer today it would be appreciated.